HARRIS GETS SECOND CHANCE AS STARTING LB

Vaness Harris watched San Diego State football game film last season, focused in on No. 37, and he could see that the guy in that uniform at outside linebacker wasn’t completely committed at times. He seemed unsure, maybe unprepared, not very confident.

It gnawed at him that the player he was looking at was himself.

“I would play well, and then again, I wouldn’t play to my potential in some games,” Harris recalled this week. “I felt like I wasn’t there. Just the way I was seeing myself in the film, not being there.”

Coaches devour game film, and they could see it too. They couldn’t abide the inconsistency, and seven games into the 2012 campaign Harris lost his starting job to a first-year Aztec, junior college transfer Derek Largent.

“At first it hurt a little bit,” Harris said, “but the coaches didn’t leave it as a surprise. They sat down and talked to me about it. After watching the film, I said, ‘You’re right; I’m wrong.’ He (Largent) is producing more; that’s why he should start. That was the reality of it.”

A wake-up call?

“It’s still waking me up,” Harris said with a smile.

Harris is going to have ample opportunities to prove he’s fully engaged, starting on Saturday at Ohio State. Largent suffered a sprained knee in the opener loss to Eastern Illinois and will be out two to four weeks. That leaves Harris starting alongside linebackers Nick Taenhaeff and Jake Fely.

The loss of Largent is significant, but the impact is lessened by the experience of Harris, a senior who has played in 31 games since arriving from Dorsey High.

“I’ve played behind some great linebackers here, and I got a lot of experience and learned a lot from them,” Harris said. “When my number was called (on Saturday) and I knew I was going to play more, I was confident in what I could do.”

Of course, the result — an upset loss to an FCS program — was far from what the Aztecs expected or wanted.

“I felt like I did pretty well, but could have done better,” Harris said. “There’s a lot of stuff on film I could have done better.”

The Aztecs coaches have praised Harris in the past, and he’s made some big plays, including six tackles for loss last season, with three sacks.

“Derek is a really good player, but we think Vaness is a really good player, too,” said head coach Rocky Long, who nevertheless worries about the domino effect for the team.

“When you lose a good player, it not only hurts how you play, but it hurts your depth,” he said. “Vaness played 70 snaps (against EIU) and on three of the four special teams. His effectiveness is going to be hurt if he doesn’t get the kind of rest you’re going to get when everyone is healthy.

“There are going to be some younger people in special teams spots that would not be there if Derek was healthy.”

Harris said he believes that extra work in the weight room along with more attention to detail has made him the best player he’s ever been at SDSU.

“When I came back for this year I had a different mindset,” he said. “I had to be a tough guy, not afraid to do anything, not be soft. It’s my senior year; everything has to fall into place. I can’t leave anything behind in my senior year. No regrets.”